Apple Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

    1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
    1 cup sugar
    2 eggs
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
    1-3/4 to 2 cups chopped peeled tart apples

Topping:
    3/4 cup packed brown sugar
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    2 tablespoons cold butter
    1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, mixing well after each addition. Stir in apples. Transfer to two greased 8-in. square baking dishes.
2. For topping, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in nuts; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Cover and freeze for up to 6 months.

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Chicken Empanada

Ingredients:

    Crust

    2 1/2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting
    3 tablespoons sugar
    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening
    1/2 cup butter
    6-7 tablespoons iced water
    1 egg, lightly beaten
    1 tablespoon water

    Filling

    1 tablespoon oil
    1 tablespoon butter
    1/2 medium onion, minced
    3-4 cloves garlic, minced
    450 g (1 lb) chicken breast or thigh meat, deboned and cubed
    1 small potato, diced
    1 small carrot, diced
    250 ml (1 cup) water or chicken broth
    100 g (1 cup) green peas (thawed, if frozen)
    100 g (1/2 cup) raisins
    2 teaspoons salt
    1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. To make the Crust, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
2. Cut in the butter and shortening with a knife or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the iced water, a little at a time while gathering the mixture to form a soft dough.
3. Form the dough into a ball. Sprinkle some flour onto a sheet of waxed paper and wrap dough in the waxed paper. Chill 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
4. To make the Filling, heat the oil and butter in a skillet. Add onions and saute about 1 minute, then add garlic and saute a further 1 minute. Add the cubed chicken meat and stir-fry until the chicken browns.
5. Add potatoes and carrots and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in water or broth and simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender and chicken is fully cooked.
6. Add peas and raisins and simmer a further 2–3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. With a slotted spoon, drain ingredients and transfer to a bowl, letting excess liquid drip. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool.
7. Preheat oven to 200° C (400° F). Remove chilled dough from refrigerator. Lightly flour a pastry board or clean table top. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough on a pastry board until it is 3 mm (1/8 in) thick. Don’t roll it too thin or it will break when baked. Cut 10 cm (4 in) circles using a cutter and a small bowl.
8. Gather the scraps and re-roll them so they can be used again. You should get about 20 pastry circles.
9. Spoon about 1-2 teaspoons Filling into the middle of each pastry circle. Fold the circle so the edges meet and filling is sealed. Press the edges of the pastry with the tines of a fork.
10. Combine lightly beaten egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush surface of each folded puff with egg mixture. Arrange on a greased baking sheet. With a knife make 2-3 slits on the surface of each puff to allow steam to escape while baking.
11. Bake puffs in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside for a few minutes to cool before serving.

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Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
1 cup buttermilk






Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 450°F.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor.
3. Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course meal.
4. If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is achieved.
5. Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined.
6. If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk. It should be very wet.
7. Turn the dough out onto a floured board.
8. Gently, gently PAT (do NOT roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick. Fold the dough about 5 times, gently press the dough down to a 1 inch thick.
9. Use a round cutter to cut into rounds.
10.  You can gently knead the scraps together and make a few more, but they will not be anywhere near as good as the first ones.
11. Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other.
12. If you like"crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together.
13. Bake for about 10-12 minutes- the biscuits will be a beautiful light golden brown on top and bottom.
14. Do not over-bake.
15. Note: The key to real biscuits is not in the ingredients, but in the handling of the dough.
16. The dough must be handled as little as possible or you will have tough biscuits.
17. I have found that a food processor produces superior biscuits, because the ingredients stay colder and there's less chance of over-mixing.
18. You also must pat the dough out with your hands, lightly.
19. Rolling with a rolling pin is a guaranteed way to overstimulate the gluten, resulting in a tougher biscuit.
20. Note 2: You can make these biscuits, cut them, put them on cookie sheets and freeze them for up to a month.
21. When you want fresh biscuits, simply place them frozen on the cookie sheet and bake at 450°F for about 20 minutes.

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Simple Donuts

Ingredients:

    500g plain flour
    250ml milk
    75g sugar
    75g butter
    1 egg
    1 tsp. baking powder
    Vegetable oil to fry



Directions:

1. Sieve the flour and baking powder together into a large bowl.
2. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar.
3. Beat the egg into the milk, then make a well in the flour mixture and pour the milk mixture into it.
4. Mix together to form a soft dough, then put into the fridge until ready to use.
5. Roll the dough out to 1cm thick before cutting into the shapes of your choice.
6. Fry the donuts in 180C oil for around 30 seconds, then turn them over and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from the fryer and drain on kitchen towel to remove excess oil.
7. Whilst still warm, roll in granulated sugar.

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Beer Bread

Ingredients
3 cups self-raising cake and pastry flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 bottle or can of beer
Preheat oven to 350F.

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together (will be sticky).
Pour into greased loaf pan (not too large).
Bake for approximately one hour. Makes one loaf.

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